Thursday, February 28, 2013

Last year when Becky and I were working out blocks for the Grandmother's Choice sampler I did a BlockBase search under wild card for the word Granny and the program came up with three options. She thought this one---Granny's Choice (#2309) from the Kansas City Star in 1948---was an interesting block. Wouldn't it make an great allover design?

The easiest way to see how the design worked as a quilt is to use the Quick Quilt view in BlockBase. You click on the block and then right click and this menu comes up. Highlight Quick Quilt and it will show you 16 blocks at once.

It would indeed make a complex design with the corners forming pinwheels. I imported the block to EQ7 and did some fooling around with repeats and shading. I liked the on-point set so I saved some images and sent them to her.

I thought it would be a good place to use the 2-1/2" Jelly Roll strips, Moda precuts. Now, the only way I know to figure out how to make a block that uses strips cut to 2-1/2" is by trial and error.

I click on the block in BlockBase and go to

>Print

>Rotary Cutting

I started with a 12 inch block and hit Preview.

It didn't work.

The strips and squares would have to be cut 2-5/8". Too big.

So I changed the width and height to 11.5.

It says cut the strips and squares 2-1/2". Perfect!

Well, 11-1/2" blocks may be hard to work out in samplers but for an all-over block quilt it's not a problem.

Becky, being a very skilled seamstress, decided to reduce the block size to 6-1/2" for this quilt. It's 36" x 48" right now and she is going to add a 6" border to make it 48" x 60", a good size for her favorite project, making quilts for hospitalized veterans. She's been encouraging her friends to use a larger version for the gift quilts.

UPDATE: Here's one she just sent with the 2-1/2" strips.

If you don't have BlockBase click on the diagram above and it will tell you the cutting directions for an 11-1/2" block. A free pattern perfect for all your 2-1/2" strips.

Monday, February 25, 2013

I don't pay much attention to Fashion Week but here's a look I can live with---color blocking. As far as I can tell this means mixing wardrobe pieces across the color wheel rather than mixing shades or values of one hue. I like it.

Tied wool comforter

Amish quilt

The color is great and reminds me why Amish quilts are so classic.

I am not doing belts however.

Another variation of the Color Blocking trend is patchwork clothing--- which can be figure flattering or not. Contemplating the above garments I had a flashback to 1965.

When I was in college I had dresses a lot like this

The designer of these museum pieces was André Courrèges

My knockoffs, I believe, came from Macy's basement

but were no less fashionable.

See more about André Courrèges at the Victoria and Albert Museum site:

The Louisiana Folklife Project documented a quilt called "Our George's Cherry Tree," possibly from the early 1930s. The detail is fuzzy but it's a rather graceful cherry tree with a hatchet floating around....See it at the Quilt Index site here:

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Contact Me

The email address for this blog is MaterialCult@gmail.com

DOG-GONE GOOD BOOKS

I've published a lot of books on quilt history and quilt patterns over the years. Below are some links to buy them, mostly eBooks or Print-on-Demand. But first click on the dog to go to my Etsy store to see if I have any printed copies I can autograph and send you.

VISIT MY ETSY STORE

Click to see books and quilts for sale. The books are all print editions from early print runs.

E-Book version of Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns.

Click on the book cover to buy a downloadable version.

Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns

The bound volume of this index to 4,000 designs with names is Out of Print. Buy an E-Book version above or buy the digital version BlockBase directly below which will print any pattern any size.

BlockBase

This computer program features over 4,300 patterns. Use it for pattern ideas, pattern I.D. and pattern drafting. Program is for PC's. Click on the box.

Making History: Quilts & Fabric From 1890-1970

A guide to making reproduction quilts, choosing reproduction prints and dating fabrics. Click on the cover to buy it from C&T Publishing.

Borderland in Butternut & Blue

Sampler Quilt to Recall the Civil War Along the Kansas/Missouri Border. A BOM with 14" traditional blocks and lots of history. Click for more:

CLUES IN THE CALICO eBook

Out of Print.

America's Printed Fabrics: 1770-1890

How to date antique fabrics and add to your stash of reproduction prints with projects for reproduction quilts. C&T sells new Print-on-Demand editions. Click on the bookcover.

Encyclopedia of Applique

The Encyclopedia of Applique second edition. Click on the bookcover for more information about an eBook or a Print-On-Demand version. Or buy from my stock at my Etsy store above.

Facts and Fabrications

Twenty traditional blocks to "Unravel the History of Quilts and Slavery." Click on the cover to buy an on-demand print edition.

CIVIL WAR SAMPLER: 50 Quilt Blocks

The book based on my Civil War Quilts blog is still in print. Click on the cover to buy a copy from C&T Publishing.

Quilts From the Civil War

Information on the role of quilts in the Civil War. Click on the cover to read more and order a digital version of this out-of-print classic. I have paper copies in my Etsy store above.

Civil War Women

More about quilts and how women used them during the War for fundraising, patriotism and practical bedding. Click on the cover to see more about an e-Book or Print-On-Demand book.

Juniper and Mistletoe

Karla Menaugh and I designed a BOM featuring quirky tree designs we found in antique quilts. Click on the cover to buy one at my Etsy store. We'll sign it.

EMPORIA ROSE

Challenging Applique from the heart of quilt country. Click to see more at C&T Publishing.

THE GARDEN QUILT: Interpreting a Masterpiece

More masterpiece applique from Ilyse Moore and me. Click on the cover to read more.

Visit My Spoonflower Shop

I have a few designs available at Spoonflower.com. You can buy yardage of postcard backs, quilt labels (like the one in the photo) and political prints in my Material Culture shop. Click on the label.

BOOK OF THE SAINTS EBOOK

You can buy my Book of the Saints For Quilters as an EBook for IPads for $3.99. Click on the picture to find ordering information for my 30-page collection of photocollages.

Lately Arrived EBook for IPads

A few years ago I did a Blurb book to accompany my Moda repro collection Lately Arrived From London. You can buy this little book with ideas and information on early quilts for $3.99 for your IPad. Click to see

Borderland in Butternut and Blue

A Block of the Month featuring patterns and stories recalling the Civil War in the west. Click on the cover to see more.

Carrie Hall's Sampler

A Block of the Month, featuring my favorite applique from Carrie Hall's 1935 Romance of the Patchwork Quilt. Click for more info.

Women of Design: Quilts in the Newspaper

Stitch pieced and appliqued baskets in the style of pattern designers from the 1930s as you learn about where quilt patterns come from. OUT OF PRINT.

Prairie Flower: A Year on the Plains

Block of the month: Original applique patterns recalling the landscape of the westward migration.

Flora Botanica Museum Catalog

Exhibit at the Spencer Museum of Art featuring their spectacular collection. Click to read more.

Our Favorite Quiltmakers:Susan McCord

Quilts inspired by Indiana's 19th-century "Quilting Genius". Click on the picture for more at my Etsy shop.